Johnny Lewis death: Drugs led to 'psychotic break'

"Sons of Anarchy" actor
Johnny Lewis was "mentally healthy" until he used an undisclosed drug earlier this year, triggering a "psychotic break," a source close to Lewis' family
tells TMZ.

He reportedly never recovered from it, becoming mentally unstable and self-medicating to deal with his issues. His family says doctors classified Lewis as having "co-occurring disorders," meaning he had some sort of mental disorder and was using drugs to treat it himself. However, his family was never able to get Lewis stable enough to get a clear diagnosis of the mental problem.

Lewis is suspected of killing his 81-year-old landlady and her cat on Wednesday (Sept. 26) before falling to his death from the roof of her house.

Despite what authorities have reportedly indicated, his family does not believe he murdered the woman in a drug-fueled rage. TMZ reports that doctors had given the actor medicine to stabilize his condition, but when he got out of jail six days before the murder, his family believes he stopped taking the meds, becoming unstable and violent.